Johnnie St. Vrain: How can a water heater keep a restaurant from opening?

Longmont Times-Call

Posted:
12/02/2012 06:35:31 PM MST

Updated:
12/02/2012 06:41:50 PM MST

Hi Johnnie: Your column on Nov. 20 begs the question: Why does the city not want Taco John's to use a Rinnai water heater? From a cursory search of the internets (sic), they appear to be energy efficient, if costly. I could not find any evidence that there was additional risk from such a water heater. Is the city making opening a small business too hard? -- Begging For An Answer

Dear Begging: Thank you for asking the question I should have asked when the Taco John's operations manager told me about it.

I checked with the city's chief building inspector, Chris Allison. His department is not in charge of approving the water heaters for restaurants, but he provided several reasons why any water heater -- including a tankless -- might not suit a restaurant.

"I'm not positive, but a lot of guys will just put a residential water heater in. If they put a residential heater in, in won't be sufficient," Allison said.

"Let's just say you got a dishwasher that uses 50 gallons during its wash cycle, then (you have) sinks, etcetera. You need a certain amount of hot water. Maybe the (residential) Rinnai doesn't heat up enough in a fast enough time."

"It might not be a simple answer," Allison said. "Any one of those things could cause problems. If I had to guess, it was a residential heater. We've had Rinnai heaters installed in other commercial buildings. The typical problem is they don't look to see if they are rated for commercial use."

But if the city doesn't inspect restaurant water heaters, who does? The county, Allison said.

So, I contacted David Baum, environmental health specialist with Boulder County Public Health. He confirmed what Allison surmised.

"Water heaters for licensed retail food establishments are sized based on the hot water needs of the facility," he wrote. "First, the total hot water demand is calculated based on a standardized formula considering the plumbing fixtures connected to hot water. When hot water demand calculations are complete, a number representing gallons per hour is provided. If a tankless water heater is proposed, a separate formula is used to determine the required gallons per minute. Next, a water heater is matched to the calculated facility demand."

The water heater needs to meet peak demand, Baum noted, to allow for employees and customers to wash their hands and for there to be enough hot water to wash dishes and utensils.

Baum said that in the case of the Main Street Taco John's, "the water heater calculations were evaluated as part of the plan review process and determined to be inadequate." So, the owners submitted a plan for a water heater that met minimum requirements. The problem was that upon opening inspection, on Sept. 18, the inspector found that the originally proposed tankless water heater had been installed.

"The facility was not approved for operation," Baum said, "and since that time our office has been working with the contractor on various solutions to resolve the issue."

What else does the county inspect in new restaurants?

"During the final inspection of a new retail food facility we look for compliance with all the applicable sections of the Colorado Retail Food Establishment Rules and regulations," Baum wrote. "Generally speaking we are verifying adequate shatterproof lighting, proper plumbing drain connections, approved floor and wall surfaces and proper equipment installation techniques. Proper construction and installation practices will allow for an easy-to-clean facility which helps to maintain a sanitary environment to prepare food."

So I had to ask Chris Allison, will Taco John's be ready to open by Christmas?

Upon a quick look at the paperwork, he replied: "They have six to 10 inspections that still aren't done."

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